Why I Think America Is Still The Country Of Dreams
March 9, 2008 by Akemi
As an immigrant, I can see what Americans take for granted.
I have lived in the US since 1995. I am fully aware of its problems. Yet, I think America is still one of the best places to succeed for someone who is ambitious and hard-working. The sad fact is that many Americans don’t realize it – they have lost the immigrant spirit, which was the spiritual foundation of the country, and just whine while sitting on their status-quo.
Let me tell you two major issues that I believe have been bending the mind of many Japanese for decades and thus have limited the economic growth there. See how you think America fares in these areas.
1. Discriminations that confine the growth of talents
Discrimination leads to systematic loss of good ideas and great talents. It judges the idea by the person who presents the idea rather than by the idea itself, and it judges the person by their attributes rather than by their expertise. I think it is quite amazing Japan has done well in the past despite deep-rooted discriminations such as . . .
Sexism
You must have a penis to be promoted in Japanese companies. I have been involved in the Japanese business community in the US for over a decade, and have dealt with several hundred Japanese businessmen (expats) either as service provider (I used to work for international banking department of a major bank) or as colleague, and never met a Japanese business woman sent directly from Japan. I recently read a news article that Nissan started promoting women – and that made a front page coverage in the business section of a US newspaper . . .
I heard there is an equivalent of affirmative action in Japan, but with no penalty. No penalty means it is just a decoration. Sexism at work is a common practice in Japan, and many Japanese women tolerate very low wage jobs because they can’t find other options.
Ageism
Age discrimination is not only present but in the written rules of many Japanese companies. There, people must retire at certain age. Many companies also limit the maximum age of new hires, viewing older applicants as “un-educatable.” People are put in age hierarchy, which limits free and expansive thinking and communication. In this rigid society, people age quickly – at age 25, I was repeatedly told I was too old to get a job or to get married. (I heard they recently raised the cut-off line to age 29. . . How nice.)
Racism
Many Japanese insist there are no racism in Japan because it is a homogeneous society. Nothing is farther than the truth. First, Japan is not “homogeneous.” There are Ainus in Hokkaido, and people in Okinawa consider themselves as different from the mainland Japanese – for good cultural reasons. There are also tens of thousands of Chinese and Koreans living in Japan. By ignoring them, many Japanese render themselves to the worst form of discrimination.
Further, many Japanese (secretly) subscribe to old racism. I have worked for three Japanese-invested companies in the US, and never saw a black American in senior management. Beside the Japanese expats, all senior management were white men, with one white woman among them. (One female representative is considered necessary to avoid the accusation of sexism.)
2. Social myths (tatemae) that only gives disillusion and distrust to those who know the reality (hon-ne)
You’ve heard lots of good things about Japan. Well, many are not true. But if you ask a Japanese about it, he or she would probably say it is true – because they know they are supposed to endorse it. They do know the reality is far from what is advertised, but have no way to express their concerns outside their inner circle. This split mentality causes confusion. Over time, people lose enthusiasm even for really good cause – they’ve been disappointed with the discrepancies of promoted good cause and the reality just too often. It’s an anti-thesis of Pavlof’s dog. When disappointed too often, they may shun away even at the sight of a real treat.
Some well promoted myths are . . .
Good school system
Japanese score well in many tests. But the real contributor to the high scores is the cram school, not the regular school. Japanese kids (I mean elementary school kids) work until 9 pm at cram schools. They have no energy left by the time they enter adulthood, no interest in real learning, and no creativity.
Low divorce rate
It is low for a reason. Did I say getting a reasonable job is hard for women in Japan? Especially for older women (read: women over the age of 30)? For them, divorce means freedom in poverty. Add to that the social shame still associated with divorce. The image of marriage in Japan is one-way ticket to mystery house – no exit whatever you find there.
Good health
Japanese do live long. Many older folks are bed-ridden for years, but yes, they are kept alive.
I am concerned about western researches that report things like “Japanese (or Asian) women don’t suffer from menopause.” Do they realize that those women are under social pressure NOT to discuss physical discomfort? When I was working for a Japanese-invested company, I once made a mistake and complained about my shoulder pain. The Japanese sales VP snared at me and said, “That’s menopause . . . oops, I’m not supposed to say this in America, huh?” It’s been years now and I still have my period very regularly, so obviously it was not menopause. The point is that women are conditioned not to discuss physical issues – if they do, they go under the storm of social ridicule. (My example is really nothing compared to what goes on back in Japan.)
Oh, I love America!
I am still a woman, no younger than I was when I was in Japan, with yellow golden skin and a bit of accent, and none of these stopped me from getting great jobs, and I can even start my own business! I can say what I believe to be true, and because I have kept my honesty and integrity, I feel passionate about the causes I believe in! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Read on to my story of coming to America . . . and how it is so like becoming an entrepreneur . . . here.
Thanks to Jeremy at Struck in Traffic for including this post in American Economics Carnival.
No related posts.
a nice read…informative and thoughtful
Yeah, as messed up as things seem in this country we still have it pretty good here.
well said ! Bless you and best to you !
wow! i agree with you on many levels. I also would like to add that it really fustrates me when foreign people say that they hate americans. I understand their anger towards the war and I feel it too. For that we would have to look at one person (that shall remain nameless) and respect and send our prayers to the troops and their families.
Shine on America, You will in my heart!
Don’t be discouraged by Americans who seem to be self-hating. Our toughest critics prefer to stay.
This was a very interesting read, Akemi!!! I’m not American, either, and I’m profoundly grateful for the openness and opportunity in this society. Spiritual development in my native Germany is just not discussed much! I even have some spiritually-minded German friends and clients here – and we talk about these matters in English, because we just don’t have the words for it in German.
Self-employment over there is also practically impossible … so I’m with you – many things are a lot easier here.
Blessings,
Andrea
clas and well said,
Thank you.
Buck, Shine on America, and mgroves,
As I wrote in the beginning, I am aware of the many problems America carries. One very harmful one is its bad publicity abroad. People who know America only through the news and popular culture such as movies and music really think Americas are violent sex-crazed dishonest people. Some hate Americans to the point that they throw away their own lives to kill Americans. As crazy as this is, America is responsible for its image, as each one of us are responsible for the image we cast on others. And war is not caused by one person — if people refuse to go to war and pay for the war, what can he do?
Andrea,
Interesting. Spirituality in Japan has been so convoluted — Japanese are very spiritual traditionally, but the Shinto cult (the old Shinto was like any shaminism but some people twisted it to lead Japan to wars) confused the nation so much many people are still in recovery state.
I like America because this is like a big lab. The best (and the worst) can be seen here. While immigration is getting harder and harder, it is still a country of immigrants, the land of dreams and opportunities, and this uplifting spirit is encouraging to many born-in Americans, too.
I’m not American, but I’m agree with you akemi, The best and the worst can be seen in America..
Akemi — I enjoyed your post. Very interesting and enlightening. You’ve shown that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, no matter what the perception is. Best of luck to you!
Hey Jason,
You are right. As I wrote in the comment for your blog, I don’t think America is just “great,” but it certainly has its strengths.
Your blog has a great angle — who doesn’t want more fun and less stress in life? Maybe we need to get into joint project of some kind — I’m sure you and Kim can neutralize my highly demanding approach to grow as a person and entrepreneur. . .
[...] writes an interesting comparison of Japan and America in Why I Think America Is Still The Country Of Dreams at Yes to Me. She helps us to see that this is indeed, still the “Land of [...]
[...] Why I Think America Is Still The Country Of Dreams I just wanted to de-mystify Japan, my original country, and express my appreciation for America, my host country, so the big hit of this post was a surprise. I guess it appealed to various people for different reasons. Some took it as a good reminder of things they, as Americans, take for granted. Some were simply happy to read praise for their country. Some non-American readers were curious what a new immigrant, me, had to say about America compared to another country. Interestingly enough, I never heard from other Japanese what they think about this piece. [...]
Good post on some of the advantages of the USA. The USA has many advantages, and has room for plenty of improvement. Many of those in the USA take for granted some of the important advantages of the USA. At the same time, in my opinion other countries are making some significant improvement including realizing the important of technological centers of excellence to an economy (and are investing in creating them). But the USA is still in the best position economically (just relatively less so than 20 years ago).
I noticed your Kiva badge – they are great.
You mentioned a lot of things here that I didn’t know about Japan, Akemi. It’s very interesting to see a comparison like this. I agree that America still has many advantages, though it’s certainly no longer at its peak. I hope we can turn things around.
John,
Thank you for your comment. Let’s see how America will be doing in 2028.
Hunter,
America is on the decline, yes. . . the fall of the US dollar tells the story. So why not start doing something to make it better? It didn’t become a great country by mere chance, people (including a lot of immigrants) made it great.
Good article. I think even with all its downfall, America is still on of the greatest countries in the world. It has made so many lives. It is arrogant, but just becuase it can be.
Cheers,
Me
Your guide to starting life abroad: http://www.dreamzfulfilled.com